So having collapsed on the sofa a few hours ago and having an unintentional nap, I'm now too awake to go to bed. I thought I would write a post instead!
In our post-Zumba chat (i.e. me putting off more library time), Eleana and I talked more about weight loss, by which I'm referring to the number on the scale. I think the first thing I'd like to say is that weight is really nowhere near as important as you think it is. We live in an age where we're inundated with advertisements for unhealthy diets - "Lose 10 lbs in a week!" - which encourages us to believe that weight is the be all and end all when it comes to health and fitness. Really, the diet industry has a lot to gain (no pun intended) from teaching us to pay attention to weight only, because there are lots of ways you can achieve short term weight loss, even if it's just water. But when it comes to sustainably losing fat and gaining muscle, it's much more than sticking to a certain number of calories and seeing the number go down.
It's important to track your progress, and weight is one way to do this of course. But it should be done in conjunction with body measurements, body fat percentage, and how you look and feel to yourself. If you weigh yourself one week and your weight has gone up, think about whether or not you had a healthy week. If you ate well, got some exercise and stayed hydrated, the chances are that you're retaining water due to sodium, menstruation, or any number of things. It's nothing to worry about if you fluctuate a bit. If you find that you are the same weight or higher at the end of a month, and it's consistently not going down, it's time to re-examine your diet. It's always a good idea to increase your activity levels, but diet is the most important aspect. You should aim for the vast majority of your foods to be non-processed, whole foods: fruit and vegetables, lean meat and fish, legumes, nuts and seeds, unrefined grains and fats.
I've already given you some info on how to interpret your body fat percentage. This website gives you information about how to figure out your lean body mass, set realistic goals, and track your fat loss/muscle gain. It's important to note that your lean body mass will go up as you gain muscle. (Although, since none of us are doing muscle-gaining programs, don't expect to see dramatic changes in the number. I worked mine out and I've gained roughly 1.5lbs of muscle in a month, which is only the result of not being very muscular to start out with. That amount will likely drop to more like 0.5lbs of muscle a month unless I actively try to gain it. More detail on that below.)
In order to achieve a slim, toned physique, we need to do two things: lose fat and gain muscle. If you have excess fat (i.e. above 20%), it is advisable to concentrate on losing that first, otherwise you won't see much difference. There is a lot of advice out there for how to lose fat, but to keep it basic: eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly (cardio + strength), stay hydrated, get enough sleep, keep stress levels down. Even if your main goal is to lose fat, you can and should still gain some muscle as you go, provided you are eating enough overall (and enough protein in particular) and doing challenging enough workouts, ideally with weights that are not super light. You will be much happier with your body if you tone it as you lose weight.
Once you have lost enough fat, you can concentrate on building muscle, which is a different process involving increased calorie intake and shorter and heavier workouts. I'm hoping to get to that stage later this year! I can write more about it then.
Okay, enough from me. Y'all post about your challenges and successes! I'll post the next weekly challenge on Sunday and check in Monday or Tuesday.
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